I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The chilling phrase "in that night" points to a sudden, unexpected judgment that strikes even those deeply immersed in ordinary life, like people sleeping in the same bed. This isn't just about a general time of trouble, but a specific moment when an intimate setting is shattered by an abrupt separation—one person is removed, not necessarily to heaven, but from earthly life, while the other remains.
I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is explaining what it will be like when he returns, comparing it to the sudden destruction that overtook people in the days of Noah and Lot. He warns against being so caught up in daily life that you're unprepared for that sudden judgment. This leads into the stark example of separation, where even those in the most intimate settings will be divided.
Imagine a world utterly absorbed in its daily routine, oblivious to impending judgment. This was the atmosphere before Noah's flood and Lot's destruction.
Jesus uses these ancient cataclysms as powerful illustrations for His own return. In the days of Noah, people were eating, drinking, and marrying, completely unaware until the waters rose. Similarly, in Sodom, life went on with business as usual. This wasn't just about earthly pleasures; it was a deep-seated 'obstinacy' and 'stupid indifference' to God's warnings (Calvin).
Christ warns that His coming will catch the world in a similar state of preoccupied normalcy. The 'cares of this life' and indulgence can 'overcharge' our hearts, making us as unprepared as those who drowned or were consumed by fire. The point isn't that daily life is evil, but that an unchecked focus on the present can blind us to eternity.
Suddenly, in the most ordinary of moments, lives are irrevocably split. One person vanishes, the other remains. What does this stark separation mean?
The verse paints a picture of intimate proximity followed by an absolute, unbridgeable divide. Two people, sharing the same bed, the same field, or the same mill, will experience radically different destinies.
The one 'taken' is often understood as being taken to safety or to be with Christ, while the one 'left' is left behind to face judgment. This isn't about who is more righteous in a self-earned way, but about a divine distinction made in a moment of crisis. As Calvin notes, the goal is to 'cut off every occasion of delay' for believers, urging them to move forward without being held back by attachments, even the closest ones.
This separation underscores that salvation is a personal matter, a divine selection that transcends human relationships. It's a sobering reminder that even those closest to us may face different outcomes.
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Amidst the world's slumber and the shock of separation, what is our response? Jesus calls us to something more than passive observation.
The overarching message from Jesus is a fervent call to 'Watch therefore!' (Matthew 24:42). This isn't about anxious speculation on dates, but a constant, active readiness. It means keeping our hearts clear from the overwhelming 'cares of this life' and the dulling effects of excess (Luke 21:34).
As commentators highlight, this vigilance is fueled by faith. Noah, by faith, saw the hidden danger and built the ark, while the world remained blind. Our readiness comes from trusting God's Word and His promised return, not from being able to predict the hour. It's about choosing to be among the few who are 'prepared to expect Him every day' (Calvin), not falling into the general indifference.
This active watchfulness also involves prayer, seeking God's help to 'escape all those things which shall happen, and to stand before the Son of man' (Luke 21:36).
Understand the original words
paralambanō · Greek Verb
To be brought to a place or received into a new state. In the context of eschatology, this often implies being caught up or gathered by God for judgment or salvation.
aphiēmi · Greek Verb
To allow to remain, to forsake, or to abandon. In eschatological contexts, it refers to those left behind during the time of divine judgment.
This verse directly addresses the disciples' fear and confusion during the turbulent years leading up to and including the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, emphasizing the sudden and separating nature of divine judgment amidst ordinary life.
c. 70 BC
Roman Consolidation of Judea
Rome's influence and control over Judea increased significantly, setting the stage for future Roman interventions and eventual destruction of Jerusalem.
c. 60-62 AD
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus delivered teachings about the signs of the end times, the destruction of the Temple, and the coming judgment, including parables and warnings to his disciples.
c. 64 AD
Nero's Reign and Early Persecutions
Emperor Nero's erratic rule and the early persecution of Christians in Rome created an atmosphere of instability and heightened awareness of potential divine judgment.
c. 66 AD— this verse
Outbreak of the First Jewish-Roman War
The First Jewish-Roman War began, a period of intense conflict and upheaval that led to widespread destruction and the eventual fall of Jerusalem.
70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Roman legions under Titus besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, brutally ending the First Jewish-Roman War and fulfilling Jesus' prophecies of the Temple's destruction.
This passage from Matthew presents the same imagery of a stark separation happening unexpectedly, directly paralleling Luke's account of one being taken and another left.
Genesis 7:23The imagery of 'all flesh' being blotted out except for those preserved within the ark directly echoes the 'one taken, one left' theme, highlighting a divine judgment that spares a remnant.
Genesis 19:26The story of Lot's wife looking back and being left behind as Sodom is destroyed provides a powerful, albeit tragic, illustration of the sudden and irreversible separation described in Luke.
1 Thessalonians 4:17This passage describes believers being 'caught up together' to meet the Lord, offering a hopeful counterpoint to the separation in Luke, suggesting that being 'taken' can also signify salvation.
Luke 21:36Jesus' exhortation to 'stay awake and pray at all times' directly supports the unsettling reality of Luke 17:34, emphasizing the need for constant vigilance against being caught unprepared by judgment.
calvinLuke 17:26-37: "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
- But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38. For as in the days that came before the deluge, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the day when Noah entered into the ark, 39. And knew not until the deluge came, [160] and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40. Two men shall then be in the field…
gillLuke 17:34: "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left."
I tell you, in that night,.... Of affliction and calamity, that shall be upon the Jewish nation, and which is before called that day, Luke 17:31 and therefore is not to be understood literally of the night: there shall be two men in one bed; this is said agreeably to the time, the night before mentioned, that being the time to be in bed, at rest and asleep; for they th…
The chilling phrase "in that night" points to a sudden, unexpected judgment that strikes even those deeply immersed in ordinary life, like people sleeping in the same bed. This isn't just about a general time of trouble, but a specific moment when an intimate setting is shattered by an abrupt separation—one person is removed, not necessarily to heaven, but from earthly life, while the other remains.
Jesus is explaining what it will be like when he returns, comparing it to the sudden destruction that overtook people in the days of Noah and Lot. He warns against being so caught up in daily life that you're unprepared for that sudden judgment. This leads into the stark example of separation, where even those in the most intimate settings will be divided.
Jesus is explaining what it will be like when he returns, comparing it to the sudden destruction that overtook people in the days of Noah and Lot. He warns against being so caught up in daily life that you're unprepared for that sudden judgment. This leads into the stark example of separation, where even those in the most intimate settings will be divided.
"I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left." — The chilling phrase "in that night" points to a sudden, unexpected judgment that strikes even those deeply immersed in ordinary life, like people sleeping in the same bed. This isn't just about a gen…
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Last reviewed October 2026